AtlantaCon Sunday with Jared and Jensen and Friends

Sunday’s gold panel brought us a tired Jared and Jensen, but that never seems to stop them from being up for chatting with fans. Jensen ribbed Jared for being in his trailer “drinking wine” while Jensen was filming a fight scene in the mud, which sounds pretty intriguing actually.

They J’s had dinner with Peter Roth, head of the CW, the other night, and the outcome of that chat seems to be that Roth is game for Supernatural to keep on going as long as we’re watching and Jared and Jensen are up for it. In other words, let’s keep going!

I’m writing this having seen episode 3, which makes everything said about the relationship between Dean and Sam and their mother extra poignant. Jared said that after his real life mother saw the scene where Sam brings Mary a cup of tea, she called him to complain that he never does that for her. Awww.

Someone once again asked about their first impressions of each other, and Jared had an adorable answer.

Jared: Cute little guy. I’ll put him in my pocket.

Jensen: (eyeroll and smile simultaneously)

I can no longer remember why it happened (because it happens a lot), but at one point Jared slapped Jensen on the ass, then remarked, “You can bounce a quarter off that.”

Jensen agreed, with a smirk: It’s true.

Smack that!

There were some serious moments too. A fan who found the courage to transition after interacting with Jared and Jensen at a con last year let them know that they had been an inspiration. They both seemed touched.

Jensen: We’re very inspired to know that we’ve inspired people to be who they want to be.

Jared: I know what it’s like to have to keep a secret and not be who you are.

I probably wasn’t the only one who teared up at that. Jared has been open about his struggles with depression and anxiety, and also about the way he’s winning that struggle with the help of therapy. He really is an inspiration. When another fan got up to the mic to talk about her struggle, Jared interrupted her.

Jared: If you’re here, amongst friends and like-minded people, you haven’t struggled – you’ve been conquering. So brag about that shit.

He’s right.

Richard, Rob, Jason Manns and Louden Swain kicked off Sunday afternoon, Day 3 of the con when the ballroom is full to capacity and the energy level is off the charts.

Ruth Connell did a panel before the J2 afternoon one. I love that every time she sashays onto the stage, Mike Borja and pretty much everyone else on the stage gets flustered. Here Richard and Mike hold each other up after, grinning the whole time.

Ruth wore some of her new couture line from Creation Stands, which in part benefits the charity My Hope Chest – they do the important work of helping women who want breast reconstruction after surgery get it. Ruth also brought a bit of hotel giveaway section, and a fan brought her some extras to replenish her stash.

Ruth talked about working with Jared and Jensen – she just had her second anniversary of being on the Show!

Ruth: Working with them, it’s like staring into the sun.

Everyone: (is nodding)

She also had some nice things to say about their acting.

Ruth: I watched Jared and Jensen film Sam and Dean’s goodbye scene at the end of last season, and it got to me every single time.

And then it got to all of us.

One of the new con rules is ‘no hugs’, or maybe that’s been there for a while and I never noticed, but at any rate it’s a silly rule to have for a Ruth Connell panel, because she hugs just about every single person who gets up to ask her a question. I freaking love that about her.

We all sang happy birthday to a young fan named Julia, who pretty much embodied every one of us as she looked at Ruth adoringly.

My favorite Ruth tidbit? When Misha had ‘I Am Coming’ on his chest and all those studio execs were there watching, Ruth whispered in reply: “I’m close.”

I just about choked on my iced coffee at that.

Briana came out for some snuggles, wearing her smart-and-sexy Sunday glasses.

Then it was time for the Jared and Jensen afternoon panel.

One of the highlights of the afternoon panel was Jared deciding to play us the first song he learned on the piano, which happened to be a classic Richard Marx ballad.

He then proceeded to serenade Jensen with it, singing ‘I’ll be right here waiting for you…’

Jensen then got up and played the first song he learned, which was the equally classic ballad by Bryan Adams, ‘Everything I do, I do it for you…’

Which really is just classic J2.

They both looked amazing. Even their shoes are sexy. No, really.

There was a lot of laughing, both by the boys and by all of us, because together they are just so damn funny. They crack each other up all the time, and that inevitably makes me laugh too. I don’t think these cons would be nearly as fun – or go on this long – if Jared and Jensen didn’t so obviously enjoy getting up there onstage together and chatting with each other and with us.

Fan: Hi, I’m from Cumming, Georgia.

Jared: Humming?

Fan: CUMMING.

Jared and Jensen: (collapse in laughter)

Do their characters bleed over into real life?

Jensen: Sometimes yes. I start to make a decision as Dean and then have to tell myself no no no, don’t do that. If I did that, this panel would be R rated.

Every single person in the audience: Yes please.

There were a few more serious moments too. They got talking about how the Show would end (you know, 100 years from now) and Jared thought that the brothers would have to die. Jensen, however, disagreed. He thinks there are circumstances under which they could walk away. And then there could be a Supernatural movie!

Someone yelled out, ‘A prequel!’

Jensen joked that they’d be way too old to play themselves.

Someone also asked the horrifying question, what would Dean drive if the Impala was destroyed?

Jensen was distraught, while Jared tried to console him. He said he would walk if the Impala was ruined – no modern car could replace her.

One of the most heartwarming things about watching Jared and Jensen together is their connection – often it’s an arm resting on the other’s shoulder, or a quick reassuring pat on the back or the chest. Or a secret shared between them before they go back to entertaining. They have each other’s backs, quite literally.

I also love the way they listen to each other. Oh, and Sassy!Jensen is something you can never have too much of.

A young fan named Wesley totally owned the con by getting onstage and schooling the boys on the ins and outs of Mystery Spot deaths. That brought Rob and Rich to the stage too, and everyone ended up hysterical.

Good job, Wesley!

Wesley: Then the Trickster killed Dean…

Jensen: What? (walks over to Richard menacingly)

Richard: Okay, that’s all the time we have folks, gotta go!

Then it was time for the last question, which was more emotional than usual. The young woman who took the stage was a cancer survivor who credits Supernatural and Jared and Jensen with helping her get through. Jared hugged her as she said that she wanted to be an actor, while Jensen provided some levity.

Jensen: (clowning adorably) So does Jared.

Jared just smiled, holding onto the fan with so much affection it made me a little teary.

Jensen hugged her too, and then it was time for Rob and Jensen to sing J2 off stage.

And for both boys to sign the banner. Which was a lovely perspective, gotta say.

We got a Jared pat on the butt this time to even things out, and then the boys waved goodbye and thanked the fans.

As has become an excellent tradition, the Kings of Con closed out the convention with a panel at the end of the day. Rich and Rob remarked that their banners were the only ones left hanging from the balcony of the ballroom, other than one of Jensen who seemed to be determinedly ignoring the Richard banner, and one of Jared who was doing the same to the banner of Rob.

At that point, they got a surprise visit from Jared, who dared them to imitate their giant banners. Rob and Rich gamely did just that, and then challenged Jared to imitate his banner face.

Which he did – perfectly.

Then they challenged him to imitate Jensen’s, and Jared went all out.

Jared: I need to do this as a full body shot.

He then bowed his legs and stuck out his chest and chin and made a blue steel face, and the whole thing was hysterical – until Ackles himself showed up and got pretend pissed.

Richard blamed Rob, Rob blamed Richard, Jared blamed them both, and Jensen just mock scowled while the other three scrambled and the entire ballroom laughed.

Despite their usual ribbing, Richard complimented Rob on his amazing acting while Rob looked like he might be blushing, and then Rob complimented Richard on his directing. It was all pretty heartwarming.

Richard would love to come back to Supernatural as the Trickster, since Gabriel just appropriated that vessel – it could definitely happen!

Check back here soon for more about Kings of Con, which premieres on Comic Con HQ on November 15!

That was the ‘End of the con as we know it’, with a final goodbye from Rich and Rob.

Later, we ended the night with drinks and delicious burgers at the rooftop restaurant in our hotel, laughing and sharing photo ops and generally being fangirls – which is as much the point of a con as the panels.

Stay tuned for more from the Kings of Con coming up soon!

–LynnFor lots more behind the scenes with the Best
Cast Ever, check out ‘Fangasm Supernatural
Fangirls’ – amazon links on this page!

Lynn, I always love reading your columns after the cons. You do an amazing job of capturing the J2 panel, including the “feels” generated by Jared and Jensen interacting with each other & the friendship & love they share. I am sure you don’t remember our meeting at the first DC con when I rode my scooter up to get you to sign my copy of your book but you made a real impression on me. I must admit that I am jealous you get to attend so many cons & are friends with the cast, but it is so great reading your columns. Keep up the good work.

There seems to be some formatting issues, the part where you talk about Jensen playing the piano is on the side of a picture and hard to read. Also, Jensen played a few keys of Bryan Adams, but what was the real 1st song he learned that he played?

Fan Phenomena: Supernatural on Amazon

Fangasm on Amazon

Fandom at the Crossroads on Amazon

Fan Culture: Theory/Practice on Amazon

Our Story

This is the story of two college professors who fell hard for a show called Supernatural. Obsession, devotion, fascination, call it what you will. We decided to figure out what was going on with us by writing a book on fandom from the fans' perspective. As academics do, we hit the libraries and internet, accumulating stacks of articles and hundreds of pages of research. We typed and revised and theorized, quoted and footnoted, and ended up with an academic text crammed full of the current scholarship on fandom.

This is not that book.

Somewhere along the line, the research took a back seat to the road trip as we traveled across the US and Canada interviewing the show’s fans, as well as the actors and directors, writers, journalists, bloggers, convention organizers, significant others and insignificant hangers-on. Fangasm! is the story of that year-long roadtrip -- the surprises we never saw coming, the secrets uncovered, the behind-the-scenes insights, the heartwarming and heartbreaking fan confessions. It’s also the story of our shared obsession and the friendship that sustains us through 4 am line-ups, overtaxed credit cards, canceled flights and airport camp-outs, and of course the occasional accusations of insanity.

Order Fangasm now from Amazon by clicking the link at the top of this page.

Media Coverage

Check out the February 2016 issue of Nylon Magazine - we're quoted in an article about fandom!

What Else We’re Writing

We've written several articles for Supernatural Magazine, including features on the fan convention experience, and behind the scenes on the set. We have also written the academic version of this story, Fandom at the Crossroads: Celebration, Shame and Fan/Producer Relationships , and edited a collection on fan culture, Fan Culture: Theory/Practice.
You can also order our book Fan Phenomena: Supernatural, with chapters by cast, crew and fans of Supernatural. Check out what Misha Collins and Richard Speight, Jr. have to say in their insightful (and amusing) chapters. Click the links at the top of the page to order.

And coming in May 2017, look for an exciting new book - Family Don't End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Changed Lives with powerful chapters by ten Supernatural actors including Jared Padalecki!

Kathy is also the Principal Editor and Lynn on the Editorial Board of The Journal Of Fandom Studies, published by Intellect. The most recent issue is available now.